Biodegradable shoe sole with fixed or detachable upper shoe components

ABSTRACT

Although biodegradable resins are used in other industries, to date there is no BPI certified compostable shoe sole with an affixed or detachable upper shoe that provides the following ancillary benefits:
           1.  Biodegradable resins that decompose under normal environmental conditions in  18  months and thus aid in the long term reduction of landfill space requirements.     2.  Hand, machine or dishwasher safe for easy cleansing as well as quick drying via air or towel dry after use.     3.  A simplistic lightweight design with, but not limited to, just two parts that can be modular and detachable for repairs, comfort, function and ornamental design which includes the ability to wear socks with the shoe.     4.  Assists in preventing the spread of nail and skin disease in public spaces     5.  Abandoned shoes can be tossed in compost rather than stored in a facilities lost and found for months.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Biodegradable resins have been implemented widely for several yearswithin the food & beverage industry for high volume items such as bags,utensils, cups, plates and packaging. Some specific examples areSpudware, BioBags, World Centric and Eco-products, all of which are BPIcertified. The Biodegradable Products Institute, Inc (BPI), located inNew York and available via the web at BPIWorld.org, is partnered withthe National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) to set national standards andrequire testing for product certification for any company seeking the UScompostable logo.

Just as with the onset of recycled paper and recyclable plastics, thesebiodegradable products exist to rectify decades of landfill andpollution problems created by non compostable or non recyclable basedproducts such as Styrofoam, rubber and non recyclable plastics.

Biodegradable resins that are certified, such as those certified by BPI,biodegrade without professional chemical treatment and under regularenvironmental conditions in 18 months. Due to the 18 month biodegradablenature of the shoe sole in this invention there are significant positivelandfill ramifications that are not currently available on the markettoday.

For example, per the US census data, there are 313,914,040 people in theUSA as of 2012. This population data does not include other US ownedprovinces such as Puerto Rico. If just 10% of those 313,914,040 peoplehave discarded a pair of shoes, which includes the sole of the shoe, inthe past 2 years the environmental impact would be as follows:

Approximately 40 shoe soles, or 20 pairs of shoe soles detached from theshoe upper, can fit into a cubic foot of landfill space. And it is knownthat there are 27 cubic feet in one cubic yard. In this instance, theshoe sole in this invention would have biodegraded and thus avoided58,132 sq cubic yards of landfill during the same 18 months or roughlytwo year period.

Secondly, shoes such as Rottua or Pocket flops, that are made frombicycle tires or other types of rubber, help to prevent such materialsfrom entering landfill initially but they are not certified asbiodegradable and thus don't solve the longer term problem oncediscarded. Additionally, any shoe soles made from rubber, synthetics,latex, recycled plastic are also not biodegradable as are the resins andplant based alternatives certified by BPI.

Finally, previous shoes and sandals such as Crocs (U.S. Pat. No.7,121,020) Sanuk (U.S. Pat. No. 7,234,248), Tivas (U.S. Pat. No.4,793,075) clogs or flip flops affix the straps or shoe upper to shoesole in a seamless mold, attached via D rings, glued or sewn into theshoe sole which do not provide the ability to easily detach componentsfor improving repairs, comfort, temperature control, function andornamental appearance.

One specific example of repair difficulties is having a toe or footstrap on your flip flop or Teva break while walking on a beach, ortrail. With the detachable design in this invention one could get bywith a borrowed shoe lace and replace just the upper shoe module withoutthe use of a cobbler or product return to the manufacturer. And, in thecase of a blister, one can simply change the modular shoe upperconfiguration to avoid the wound altogether for comfort purposes.

Shoes, clogs, sandals and flip flops are functional for the purpose ofpreventing skin or nail disease as well as injury while utilizing apublic shower, athletic facilities, school gyms, public pool,campgrounds, hotel rooms or even a public beach. These shoes must belightweight and compact enough that the user would pack & carry them fordaily use and also provide quick and thorough drying to preventbacteria, fungus or odor build up.

A beach sandal such as Sanuk is not intended for shower use as the shoeupper is made of a solid material affixed via stitching. The shoe mustbe quick drying or able to be quickly toweled dry, as is the case with abasic rubber flip flop such as Pocket Flops or Rottua. That said, noneof the aforementioned shoes are biodegradable. Crocs, which use aproprietary close cell resin named Croslite, other known flip flopdesigns, Tiva, nor Sidi are not biodegradable or certified compostableeither.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention encompasses the construction of either a left shoe or aright shoe system, and to be used for pairs of shoes, wherein a pairincludes both a left and right footed shoe.

Specifically, the invention is a shoe sole that is constructed utilizingcertified biodegradable resins. Wherein the aforementioned sole can becoupled or decoupled with various upper shoe modules that fasten viastitching, glue, grooves, holes, hook, broach, interlocking clasp,buckle, tying of two ends, snap, hook and loop, grommet, any otherfastener or combination of fastening elements characterized within theproceeding list. The biodegradable shoe sole and the shoe upper can beaffixed or completely detachable from one another; wherein the affixedupper shoe module would also be constructed of a biodegradable resin sothat the entire shoe can be certified compostable.

Additionally, a modular shoe consisting of a sole and a completelydetachable shoe upper is constructed to enable a user to interchange theshoe components for improving repairs, comfort, function and ornamentalappearance of the shoe construction in its entirety.

REFERENCES CITED

U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,782 Granted to Thatcher

U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,075 Granted to Thatcher

U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,512 Granted to Zeligman

U.S. Pat. No. 4,200,997 Granted to Scheinhaus

U.S. Pat. No. 4,051,610 Granted to Shigegi

U.S. Pat. No. 2,642,677 Granted to Yates

U.S. Pat. No. 7,121,020 Granted to Bathum

U.S. Pat. No. 7,234,248 Granted to Kelley

U.S. Pat. No. 6,231,960 Biodegradable and/or compostable polymers

U.S. Pat. No. 5,767,168 Biodegradable and/or compostable polymers

1. Independent shoe sole constructed via biodegradable resins which areengineered to handle water and environmental temperatures up to 200degrees per the product specifications.
 2. The shoe sole in claim 1 ismolded with a flat shelf on the outer rim of the plantar side of thesole wherein oblong holes are present and dissect the sole to correspondto concave groves on the underside of the sole.
 3. The shoe sole inclaim 1 is molded with an arch support on the interior plantar side ofthe sole.
 4. The shoe sole in claim 1 is molded with a raised bumpycross hatch pattern on the underside of the sole which surround theconcave grooves and oblong holes and form slip resistant contact patchesto the ground surfaces.
 5. Independent upper shoe mesh, material orstrap component connected by a hook, broach, interlocking clasp, buckle,tying of two ends, snap, hook and loop, grommets or any other fasteneror combination of fastening elements characterized within the proceedinglist used to temporarily adhere via the holes and grooves of theindependent sole in claim
 1. 6. The shoe sole in claim 1 is molded flat,without the design features in claim 2, 3 and 4 wherein the mesh shoeupper is also constructed from a biodegradable resin and affixed to theshoe sole via stitching, glue or a seamless mold.